a/n: Something I wanted to try, in the brief pause I had - character pieces are always fun. A little different, a little odd. I think it's complete for what it is, but I've been known to be wrong. I think we'll see how it all goes from here. Hope you all enjoy.

There was an interesting place on the Emerald Coast, where the crisp sand of the beaches met the chipped concrete that made up the modern city streets, a small yet cosy restaurant sitting on the border between the two worlds. The patio was outside facing the ocean, with one table and two chairs.

If one chose, they could take a glass of wine from their table and step out onto the beach, shuffling through the soft sand and listening to the crashing of the waves as they came in.

He didn't feel up to that sort of thing today.

His cobalt form rested in one of the two chairs, and he was without much of his usual energy. A marathon battle had taken place a few nights before, and while he wasn't severely injured or truly exhausted, the fighting had tired him to no end.

He didn't like this feeling, but figured that it would pass.

A soft clicking of heeled boots sounded over the bubbling waves on the shore, and he slowly turned his head towards the source, which promptly sat in the seat across from him and smiled sweetly.

Pink quills, green eyes, white smile. A blend of colours that he knew quite well at a glance.

His usual reaction would be to groan and start on his way, but the usual reaction didn't seem to come to mind this day. He simply acknowledged her with a small wave and rolled his emerald eyes back to the clouds sitting on the horizon.

The crinkling of plastic brought his attention back to the girl as she set a wrapper down on the table and pinned it underneath the glass of water already present, to dissuade the wind from carrying it off. She seemed to be looking at the piece of candy appraisingly, which didn't strike the blue hedgehog in front of her as an odd thing – she had her quirks, just as he did. But he could testify to the fact that he didn't have anywhere near the amount of funny habits that she demonstrated on a daily basis.

Her eyes flickered back and forth from his to the lollipop in her hand, which was neither very big nor very small. It sat somewhere in between in terms of size, which for some reason seemed to carry an amount of significance as she twirled it in her hands.

With the same casual look fixed on him, she licked the candy slowly, seeming as if she were stuck between grabbing his attention and genuinely trying to enjoy the sweetness as it touched her tongue. He put an arm on the table and propped his head up with it, watching her curiously; though she couldn't tell that at the moment. His body language suggested exhaustion, and his green eyes took on a distant appearance.

Sonic turned his eyes away from her and back towards the ocean. A word or two had come to mind, but he stifled them and let the girl in front of him go on, still licking the treat with a nimble sort of awkwardness that left him void of any definite feeling. She didn't look silly, and yet she didn't inspire arousal, though he suspected that she was trying with some degree of effort.

He locked eyes with Amy as she was leaned back in her chair; still licking the lollipop with a semi-professional grace that he was certain only she carried. A mischievous look crossed her features, her eyes giving off what could be considered a naughty smile if one understood her messages. Sonic believed it to be both a blessing and a curse that he could translate so quickly.

There was a sufficient amount of space at the table, enough for two more chairs on either side. Sonic's thoughts added those chairs and put two guests into them, his mind taking Amy Rose as she was and splitting her through time and space.

To his left sat the little girl, her quills spiked upwards, shoes messily laced up, and a bright green skirt that rustled with the ocean breeze. The candy in her hands was large, and she held it with two hands as she licked at the rainbow swirls. Sweet, delicious sugar touched her tongue, and she cared little for anything else but enjoying the treat, devouring it as best as she could. Her jade eyes floated upwards to meet his, a look of happiness etched onto them as he watched. Feet kicked about playfully as the candy and his thoughtful gaze consumed her thoughts.

He turned from her back towards the older girl, still licking at the lollipop with a cool gaze towards him. His eyes moved over to the right after a minute, moving slowly upwards from toned legs to a small and form-hugging black dress. Spaghetti straps slid off of her shoulders, leaving them rosy and bare in the sunlight. Hair and quills were longer than before, controlled yet savage in their design. She twirled a thick lock around one finger, painted nails glimmering in his eyes.

Again, the candy was appraised, but only for a fraction of the time before she placed the small sucker near her mouth, licking at it expertly. Every moment her tongue moved was spent caressing it, wrapped around like a constrictor towards its prey. Her emerald eyes took his form in, a hunger coming across them despite the treat in her mouth. She was saying without words that it wasn't enough to have the sucker at her mercy – it was merely an appetizer. No, less than that. Just a tool, a visual aid for what was supposed to come next.

Her tongue teased at the lollipop as mercilessly as it could, stripping away the sugar for its own amusement as she allowed it to. The motions translated themselves into delicious thoughts in her mind, the sugar seeming bitter in her imagination as her thoughts escalated, sweeter and sweeter tastes coming to mind with each moment.

Eyes heavy lidded, she beckoned him without a sound, sucking gently on the candy and leaving it glistening. Wet with more than simply a touch of water, he thought. The candy was only temporary, but at least a bit enjoyable, a distraction from the absence of what she lusted after. Something passing, something that could satisfy her for a while before she sunk her teeth into something else.

Innocence didn't come to mind – she was aggressive, yearning, hungering. For all her teasing, the small lollipop still had plenty of life left in it, enough to break him and turn him into putty in her hands. It was also enough for her to be consumed by her rampant hunger; the sensual licks and touches driving her up the wall as she restricted herself to the confines of the candy and her imagination.

A small bubbling of frustration appeared inside of her.

She liked the feeling, somehow.

The blue hedgehog looked back to his left at the little girl, complex and absorbing thoughts giving way to a simplistic peace and brightness. The happy, soothing waves contrasted with the teasing heat that he felt from the woman in the black dress.

The child enjoyed. The woman devoured.

The girl was on the threshold of both sides, yet nothing was ever certain.

All three of them ended with a single lick; a happy sigh from the little girl, a soft moan from the woman, a straightforward silence from the one caught in the middle. The two on the edges disappeared, leaving Amy in the middle, still across from him with a relaxed aura about her.

A playful smile spread across her face as she leaned forward, offering him the sucker in a teasing manner. His arm moved to take the candy away from her gently, and his thoughts drifted between her and the two that had existed a moment before. The candy was flat; he bit it in two and took the half into his mouth, a knowing look in his eyes as he glanced at her.

She felt a heat start to take over her, a blush creeping onto her face as she watched him intently, the candy swishing around in his mouth. His tongue made the piece of lollipop its plaything, tossing and turning it about, squeezing the drops of sugar off of it in a relentless tumble. The sweet sugar swished about between his teeth and lit up his taste buds, filtering down his throat and bringing a sense of enjoyment into his being.

Wide green eyes watched him, the blush growing hotter as she did. There was a sense of comprehension, of understanding why her brain made her react the way that she did, but there wasn't enough to make sense of it all. Did she want to?

Small, fleeting breaths escaped her mouth. Her mind flickered into certain thoughts, feeling soft, gentle touches as well as the ravaging, raw strokes that made her flush with excitement. Was her imagination running so wild that reality started to blend with it?

She wondered if she really cared in the end.

He still had that weary look on his face, and tiredness in his body as he sat in the chair. A renewed sparkle came into his green eyes as he looked back towards the ocean, candy still turning in his mouth. A smile came onto his face as she took the broken lollipop back from his hand and licked at the top, a subdued innocence in her eyes as she blushed brightly.

The steam from the untouched tea still wafted up into the air. Her legs were crossed over as her tongue diligently took to its new task, and he slid a foot forward as he settled further into his seat, eyes again distant as fluffy white clouds floated above the waters.

They sat together in silence as the waves sounded against the shore.